Israel & Greece Tour with 4-nights Greek Island Cruise

Experience the biblical wonders of Israel on an unforgettable journey to the most popular sites Israel has to offer, such as the Jerusalem, Bethlehem and the Sea of Galilee, while learning first-hand about one of the most ancient civilizations known to man. Then, experience the history and culture of a Greece tour, coupled with an unforgettable 4-night Greek Island cruise to the most famous Greek islands and Ephesus!

Today we will start the day with a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. We will also the an ancient fishing boat from the times of Jesus, similar to the boats used by Jesus’ apostles.

Visit Magdala, best known as the home of Mary Magdalene. Walk through the ruins of a first century Jewish town where a synagogue from the time of Christ's ministry was found.

We will now visit the Mount of Beatitudes, the spot believed to be where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:8).

We will also drive by Golan Heights. According to the Bible the Children of Israel conquered the Golan from the Amorites.

We will visit Banias Spring in Caesarea Philippi. This is believed to be the place where Jesus asked his closest disciples who they thought he was. The confessions of Peter are found in the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke.

One of the highlights of the day if Tagbha, where Jesus fed the 5,000 with one five loaves of bread and 2 fish. We will visit the Church of Multiplication.

We will end the day visiting Capernaum, the town where Jesus ministered.

Meals included: Full Breakfast Dinner

Sea of Galilee, Leonardo Plaza Tiberias *

5Wednesday | Jesus' Early Ministry at the Sea of Galilee & Jordan River

We will enter the Old City of Jerusalem via the Lion’s Gate and we will walk through the streets of the Via Dolorosa or the Stations of the Cross.

Visit the the Judgment Hall of Pilate.

Visit St. Anne's Church and the Pool of Bethesda.

Visit the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, built over the site where Jesus of Nazareth was crucified.

Shop at the bazaars.

Will visit Mt. Zion and the Upper Room, the place of the Last Supper.

We will also visit the Garden Tomb, where we will celebrate the resurrection with prayer.

Meals included: Full Breakfast Dinner

Jerusalem, Leonardo Plaza *

9Sunday | Welcome to Greece

Extension flight from Tel Aviv to Athens

After breakfast check out from the Jerusalem hotel and be ready with your luggage in the hotel lobby for your airport transfer from Jerusalem to Ben Gurion International Airport.

Board your plane heading to Athens.

Upon arrival in Athens, the cradle of Western civilization, you will be transferred to the hotel.

Enjoy a free evening around the area, maybe visit a popular restaurant and interact with the locals.

Meals included: Full Breakfast

Royal Olympic Hotel, Athens *

10Monday | Embark on Cruise & Visit Mykonos

Cruise: Mykonos / Church of Paraportiani / Little Venice / Windmills

We will arrive at 8:00am at the port of Piraeus to embark on a cruise.

We will start a 4-night trip to the Greek Islands and Turkey, departing to the island of Mykonos at 11:00am.

We will arrive at 6:00pm. The island of Mykonos offers beautiful sandy beaches and a cosmopolitan lifestyle combined with rich history. The active nightlife will take you to spots such as Little Venice or you may climb the sculpture at the Church of Paraportiani. Mykonos is considered one of the most important archaeological sites in Greece. You will love the culture, architecture and history this island has to offer.

Embark on your cruise at 11:00pm and we will sail to Kusadasi in Turkey.

We will arrive in Kusadasi, Turkey at 7:30am and will start our tour of the ancient city of Ephesus.

The history of Ephesus can be seen in the excavations of the Roman Imperial period, including the Library of Celsus and the Great Theater, founded in the 10th century BC.

Tour the marble streets and visits the Baths of Scholastica, the Temple of Hadrian and one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the Temple of Diana of the Ephesians.

Ephesus is also where the Apostle Paul preached to the Ephesians. After living in Corinth for a year and a half, he decided to travel to Ephesus where he lived for 3 years as part of his second evangelical journey. This is also where the church he most likely started received an epistle from him.

After Ephesus, we return to Kusadasi for a short souvenir shopping stop before embarking on the cruises and sailing to Patmos, Greece at 1:00pm.

We will arrive at the island of Patmos, Greece at 4:00pm. The enchanting island of Patmos hasn’t changed much since 2,000 year ago when the Apostle John wrote the Book of Revelation (Rev. 1:12-21). The cave believed to be the place where John received his visions of Christ is where the Monastery of St. John the Evangelist is located. Enjoy the beautiful views from the monastery and visit the Grotto of the Revelation. After some free time to discover the sites in the area, we will return to the ship and sail to Rhodes, Greece at 9:30pm.

Meals included: Full Breakfast

Celestyal Cruises

12Wednesday | Paul and the harbor of Rhodes

Rhodes / Temple of Athena in the Acropolis of Lindos

We will enjoy a delightful breakfast on board the cruise and get ready to arrive at the island of Rhodes at 7:00am. The largest of the Dodecanese Island, Rhodes is where the Colossus of Rhodes, a statue of the Greek titan-god of the sun Helios was erected in 280BC.

* The first-half of the day you can join an optional tour of the Temple of Athena in the Acropolis of Lindos. This temple was built between 427BC and 424BC and it is located in the Acropolis with amazing views of the Greek island of Lesbos.

It’s believed that Paul’s vessels spent some time here in the small harbor of the island of Rhodes (Acts 21:1).

We will head to the cruise for a delightful lunch on board and then spend the afternoon strolling through the walled city during our free time. Interact with locals, enjoy the diverse atmosphere, and relish on the astonishing views Rhodes has to offer.

We will sail to Heraklion, Crete at 7:00pm and enjoy a dinner on board.

* Optional tour of Temple of Athena ($89)

Meals included: Full Breakfast

Celestyal Cruises

13Thursday | The beauty of Crete and Santorini

Island of Crete / Minoan Palace of Knossos / Island of Santorini / Town of Thera

We will arrive at Heraklion, Crete.
“When we had sailed slowly for a good many days, and with difficulty had arrived off Cnidus, since the wind did not permit us to go farther, we sailed under the shelter of Crete, off Salmone; 8 and with difficulty sailing past it we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea”. (Acts 27:7-13)

Enjoy your free time in the largest Greek island or join an optional tour of the Minoan Palace of Knossos, known for the Greek mythological creature with the head of a bull and the body of man, the Minotaur.

We will sail to the Island of Santorini at 11:00am, where will arrive at 4:30pm.

Take a mule ride or a cable car to the town of Thera, a city built over the rim of a volcano and where an eruption in 1,600 BC of the volcano is believed to have originated the Atlantis myth. You will find excavations in Akrotiri of the buried town which disappeared after the eruption preserving the Bronze Age of the island of Santorini.

We will then sail to Piraeus at 9:30pm.

Optional tour of the Minoan Palace of Knossos ($80)

Meals included: Full Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Celestyal Cruises

14Friday | Apostle Paul & The Four Letters in Corinth

Piraeus / Ancient Corinth

We will arrive in Piraeus at 7:00am.

After a delicious breakfast onboard, we will disembark the cruise and drive to Ancient Corinth (Acts 18:1-18) for a half-day tour. It is here where the Apostle Paul visited at least three times, he founded Christian assemblies, and also wrote at least four letters to Christians in Corinth.

Visit the ruins of the 5th century basilica at the ancient port Cenchrea (viewed from the bus) before we head to Athens and arrive at the hotel for an overnight stay.

Enjoy a free evening around the area, maybe visit a popular restaurant and interact with the locals.

Meals included: Full Breakfast

Royal Olympic Hotel, Athens *

15Saturday | Discover Athens & the Acropolis

Parthenon / Erechtheion / Modern Athens / Acropolis Museum

After we enjoy our breakfast, we will tour the city of Athens, learning more about the local culture and the ancient architecture as well as it’s modern sites.

Visit one of the most famous sites in Athens, the magnificent temple of the Acropolis of Athens, known as the Parthenon. Built between 447 and 432BCE, this is the picture-perfect spot in Athens.

Visit the Erechtheion on the north side of the Acropolis, dedicated to both Athena and Poseidon.

In modern Athens we will visit the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Parliament House, Temple of Olympian Zeus, Panathenaic Stadium, Presidential Palace, the Academy, the University and the National Library.

We will head to the Acropolis Museum before returning to the hotel and enjoying some free time in the afternoon.

Enjoy a free evening around the area, maybe visit a popular restaurant and interact with the locals.

Meals included: Full Breakfast

Royal Olympic Hotel, Athens *

16Sunday | Departure from Athens

Departure back to the United States

After breakfast and check out you will be transferred to Athens International Airport for your return flight home.

Meal included: Breakfast

* In the rare event that a hotel is overbooked, the group will be provided with an equivalent level hotel or higher.

We offer small groups & greater value: Every Journey is limited to just 20-40 travelers - guaranteed. A minimum of 2 travelers are required. A single supplement fee of $1925.00 is required for travelers without a roommate. Land package prices listed are per person in U.S. dollars. Rates are based on double occupancy and inclusive of all taxes.

2 people minimum per tour registration. The special rates below reflect a 3% discount for check payments.

6 full days of touring and sightseeing with top professional, government-licensed, biblically oriented, English speaking tour guide

Evening tour to Old Jaffa on arrival day

Private transportation in deluxe air-conditioned coach

Arrival transfer from the airport to your Tel Aviv hotel for flights arriving between 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM

Departure transfer from Jerusalem to the airport (please check below for transfer remarks)

Porter fees at all hotels

All land service and local taxes

Included in Greece:

3 nights at a 5-Star hotel (Royal Olympic or similar)

Daily breakfasts at the hotel in Athens

4-night cruise to the Greek Islands & Turkey, based on a superior inside / outside cabin category, with private facilities (shower/bathtub, washbasin, toilet), on full board basis aboard ship beginning with lunch on embarkation day and including breakfast on the day of disembarkation; with entertainment, free use of shipboard facilities and services of cruise staff.

Two shore excursions packages available during the cruise (organized and operated by the cruise ship):

* Grotto of the Apocalypse & St. John Monastery in Patmos

* Ancient Ephesus

All-inclusive non-alcoholic & alcoholic package during the cruise

Port, local taxes & fuel surcharges

Tips to cruise staff

Shuttle bus to Mykonos town (on cruise)

Half day regular tour of Athens, with Professional English speaking guide

Half day regular tour of Corinth, with Professional English speaking guide

Entrance fees to the archaeological sites in Athens & Corinth

Private transfers from/to the airport & port of Athens

Local taxes

Transfer Remarks:

Arrival transfers are provided FREE for travelers arriving in Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport on flights arriving between 2pm – 6pm on the tour arrival day only (Sundays ONLY).

Departure transfers are provided for travelers departing from Athens International Airport on the ending day of the tour (Sunday ONLY)

See the sites of modern Athens such as the Panathenian Stadium, the National Library, and the Acropolis Museum

Accommodations

Compare our 5 star hotels with any other Holy Land tour… America Israel Tours offers the best value and the best travel services! Our incredible hotels are another good reason to choose us for your Holy Land vacation. (In the rare event that a hotel is overbooked, the group will be provided with an equivalent level hotel or higher.)